Embedding map to "Map" page

[amchagas]

One feature we would like to add is a world map where multiple information like cities where responses came from, what equipment are in demand, etc. can be displayed and filtered.

The initial idea is to use open street maps, using something like this: https://leafletjs.com/

This could be broken down in the following steps (think of them as general guidelines): 1 - display a instance of Open Street Map on the "map" page 2 - figure out how to put "layers" on the map, so that each layer contains one information (eg city, equipment, etc) 3 - Extract data from the survey responses and put them in a format that can be automatically fed into each layer 4 - Display data and filtering options

Note: Think about contacting Open Knowledge Maps! since they are specializing in maps for science!

[ghost]

When I read the things you want to do I keep thinking it's gonna be a challenge using a Jekyll site. Most of this can be done somewhat "manually" if it's not too much/too often. That may be a starting point, but if these features start being needed more than a little or need to be "real time automatic" then you're probably gonna need a host with php or node.js.

[amchagas]

Interesting to know. I'm really not into developing pages/websites. I mostly used wordpress so far, and I wonder if it would be easier to set something like that up. I just feel that having that would make it a bit harder for people to contribute. Do you have any suggestions for hosting with php or node.js? Also tutorials on how to get started?

[ghost]

Free web hosting with server side scripting is rare and whenever I used it was laggy or poorly implemented. Wordpress cost as much or more than a dedicated host when you want the advanced features. If I had it to do, I'd just want a virtual host unless the traffic was gonna be high at which point I would want bare metal server with my choice of operating system (Redhat) and shell access. Decent entry level hosting starts around $200/year. Expect to pay more as your traffic and server load increases. If you go to shop for a host, all of them will advertise that they off "unlimited" traffic. The catch is that they have not SET a limit and can at any time want to bump you up to a higher cost tier.

I've given up on looking for free host when I've wanted to play with php I just run my own local server instance which works very quick and stable for development since it's just me accessing it. Can even run that on a $40 Raspberry Pi single board computer. If need be, I can make the server available over the web by using the IP address directly instead of a domain name. For instance,if I want to show someone what it can do. The code could then be copied onto a dedicated host AFTER it is ready which saves money during development.

For me, coding is easy and fun, but time consuming. Your site ideas sound ambitious and I'd like to be involved after the end of this year when I have more time. Until then I will do what I can to help get something basic going so you can at least have a site to plan the site you want to build. Now that you have GitHub pages working live, what I'd like to see you do first is make a good README.md explaining what you want the site to do. When you find a Jekyll theme you like I can help you get that going. I've not found one yet that wasn't somewhat broken to begin with mainly because the code gets obsolete as time goes by. I'm working out those issues on my own GitHub Jekyll site now.

[amchagas]

Hey, Thanks a lot for the detailed infos, and for your willingness to put more time in this later on. Considering these things, I think it is a good idea to stick to the current system and see what I can get working in the meantime!

[ghost]

Yes, I understand and after reading all your pages I think I understand better what the project is about. It does not really change what I said about free solutions. I am willing to work with what you have planned. I do not know everything so maybe we can find ways to make this work until someone -(Bill Gates) donates a hosting server. LOL

[ghost]

Here is an image you can copy/paste into Windows Paint and simply "paint bucket colors" onto the blue and gray parts to see what looks best to you. When you're happy with the colors they can be coded into the site in the style.scss file.